Yesterday Nana and I went to her favorite place, the Red, White and Blue Thrift Store. Nana has been going there every week since it opened. It's been at least fifteen years, probably more. It's a grand store, and it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps you coming back, if you like hunting that is. You never know what you may find. They have toys, games, books, figurines, vases, paintings, dishes, household items, luggage, picture frames, sporting good, rugs, clothes, shoes, furniture, lamps, appliances, electronics, skates, bicycles, and most anything you can think of, even Louis Vitton purses.
Nana sees things very differently than most, in that, she can look at something and with her great imagination and artistic mind, decide what she can use it for other than what it was made for. Did you get that? I mean in a matter of seconds she will tell you what she can do to it, and what else she can use it for. For instance, I'll say "Mom, what will you use that for?" And just like that, in a split second she'll say "Well, I'll paint it this color, and put it in this room, and I like it, and I want it, and it only costs two dollars, and that's a good price, and that's that!!!!
Nana sees things very differently than most, in that, she can look at something and with her great imagination and artistic mind, decide what she can use it for other than what it was made for. Did you get that? I mean in a matter of seconds she will tell you what she can do to it, and what else she can use it for. For instance, I'll say "Mom, what will you use that for?" And just like that, in a split second she'll say "Well, I'll paint it this color, and put it in this room, and I like it, and I want it, and it only costs two dollars, and that's a good price, and that's that!!!!
You have to understand, most of my mom's life she lived on a budget, not always able to buy new things for the house. She is very artistic and became very creative. All my life, I have watched her make the most beautiful things out of almost nothing. Surely with the talent she possesses she could have easily become a famous interior decorator.
It was so crowded that you could hardly get down the isles. People literally pushing and shoving. We have witnessed them fighting over items. They stand by the back stock room door just waiting for the big rolling carts full of new(used) stuff coming out and literally start grabbing. So, a lot of the stuff will never make it to there proper place in the store, because these people start grabbing it before the stock person can even get it completely out of the stockroom doors. The stock people are always yelling excuse me and trying to get by them to put the stuff on the shelves, but to no avail. Sometimes I get really pissed off because you try to get around them and they won't move, because they a guarding their position. No really, they are! You can't get past them, you either push your way through or go around. There have been times in the past when we have said "excuse me", and they will not move an inch. When this happens I just say, "You ARE going to be polite and let us go by, AREN'T YOU?" I explain that we just want to get through, "just let us fraking through." Nana says to me, "Baby, just stay calm and be pretty." And because my mama asks me to, I let it go.
It was so crowded that you could hardly get down the isles. People literally pushing and shoving. We have witnessed them fighting over items. They stand by the back stock room door just waiting for the big rolling carts full of new(used) stuff coming out and literally start grabbing. So, a lot of the stuff will never make it to there proper place in the store, because these people start grabbing it before the stock person can even get it completely out of the stockroom doors. The stock people are always yelling excuse me and trying to get by them to put the stuff on the shelves, but to no avail. Sometimes I get really pissed off because you try to get around them and they won't move, because they a guarding their position. No really, they are! You can't get past them, you either push your way through or go around. There have been times in the past when we have said "excuse me", and they will not move an inch. When this happens I just say, "You ARE going to be polite and let us go by, AREN'T YOU?" I explain that we just want to get through, "just let us fraking through." Nana says to me, "Baby, just stay calm and be pretty." And because my mama asks me to, I let it go.
I know I digressed and I'm sorry, but this is real and we are trying to make it real aren't we?
Anyway, if you can get past the commotion and the "village idiots", and do some looking around and hunting, you can find some really cool stuff, and have a lot of fun at the same time. And every time after we finally get out of the place with our stuff, my excited little mama always says, "Well, we sure had a good time, didn't we." And I say, "Yes, we sure did."
Anyway, if you can get past the commotion and the "village idiots", and do some looking around and hunting, you can find some really cool stuff, and have a lot of fun at the same time. And every time after we finally get out of the place with our stuff, my excited little mama always says, "Well, we sure had a good time, didn't we." And I say, "Yes, we sure did."
Very truly yours,
Joyce
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Hey - I treid to post this comment on your blog, but it wouldn't work. I'm not very blog-literate :-)
ReplyDeleteI think all of us the from the old neighborhood have shopped there. It was so "in vogue" when we were in high school to tell your friends "I got it at Red, White, and Blue". Susan, Liz(Lightheart) and I used to buys lots of stuff in there.
In a regular dept. store, you kind of know what you'll find, so they're a bore. I'm not extremely fond of shopping anyway. However, like you and Nana, I love the thrill of the hunt in a good thrift store. I especially love to hunt for my jeans like that. They're so much more comfortable after they've been broken in by someone else. Also, like you, my mom always had to live on a budget, so we learned the fine art of thrifting when we were young. I have an aunt and uncle who are wealthy, but their favorite past time is to go to yard sales, and flea markets. Once during a summer trip to visit them in Tenn., they took me on an adventure. Every year in August, there is a 4 day yard sale that begins in Gadsden, Alabama and follows highway 127 all the way to Unity, Ohio. We did 2 days and only went about 50 miles, we stopped so much. It was really fun. http://www.tourdekalb.com/yardsale.shtml
There's a nice Goodwill now on Miami Gardens Drive and 19th Ave., but nothing will ever replace the Red, White, and Blue store. It is, in part, the memories...
And, as always, thanks for the memories!
XO,
~Sheryl